The 52 Best Albums By XXL Freshmen

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Another year, another Freshman Class stacked with promising MCs waiting to break out into the top tier of hip-hop. This year's class—Fetty Wap, DeJ Loaf, Vince Staples, Tink, GoldLink, Shy Glizzy, K Camp, OG Maco, Raury and fan-voted 10th spot winner Kidd Kidd—has plenty to live up to, with the majority of our previous Freshmen enjoying solid, occasionally outstanding, careers after the cover. But another year also means another round of albums from some of our previous classes, as well as debuts from the likes of Action Bronson, Logic, Lil Durk and more. As we continue rolling out the freestyles, cyphers and roundtable interviews from the 2015 XXL Freshmen, take a look at the best albums from the 52 former Freshmen who have released proper LPs (Ed: Note: If they haven't released an album, they're not on the list.) and don't miss our list of 70 dope collabs from XXL Freshmen over the years. —XXL Staff

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Lupe Fiasco, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor

Why It's Dope: The Chi-Town MC’s debut album was a game changer in the mid-2000’s rap scene. Throughout the project, Lupe tackled heavy topics like politics, religion, and inner city life while incorporating lush, string and horn-heavy production from the likes of Kanye West, The Neptunes, and Soundtrakk. The result was a hip-hop record that stands the test of time as one of the 2000s best.

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Boosie BadAzz, Bad Azz

Why It's Dope: As Lil Boosie’s major label debut, Bad Azz established the Baton Rouge firecracker as a major player in the gangster rap game. Lead single “Zoom” was a classic Boosie club banger, and much of Bad Azz follows the same vein. Of course, with Lil Boosie’s legal troubles finally behind him and the resumption of his music career ahead, it might not be too long before Bad Azz is dethroned by an upcoming project. Until then, it remains the classic example of Boosie’s strong gangster rap sensibilities.

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Papoose, The Nacirema Dream

Why It's Dope: After going through self-described “A&R Hell” in a failed deal with Jive Records, releasing over a dozen mixtapes, and dealing with delay after delay, Papoose’s debut album The Nacirema Dream finally dropped in March 2013. Boasting appearances by artists like Mobb Deep and Erykah Badu, Nacirema stayed true to Papoose’s long-stated vision. While the album treads on familiar territory after years on the shelf, its release was nonetheless a huge victory for the Bed-Stuy rhymer, as he finally got to put out the project he wanted to.

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Joell Ortiz, Free Agent

Why It's Dope: Despite leaking three months before its release date (thanks to a mistake by Amazon), Free Agent managed to make waves in the rap community. Ortiz’ solid lyricism and beat selection made the album an underground success, with the Brooklyn veteran demolishing tracks like “Battle Cry.” While Ortiz has gone on to have great success as a member of Slaughterhouse, Free Agent was the last solo album he released.

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Plies, Definition of Real

Why It's Dope: Despite being slightly overshadowed by the mammoth release of Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III on the same day, Definition of Real remains Plies’ best work. Buoyed by Top 10 single “Bust It Baby, Pt. 2” with Ne-Yo, Plies enjoyed crossover success. Much of the material was radio friendly, and yet it maintains a street-hardened edge that his debut, The Real Testament, occasionally lacked. The Florida native’s intense delivery, along with high-profile guests like Trey Songz and Jamie Foxx, helped made the record a street-oriented success.

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Saigon, The Greatest Story Never Told

Why It's Dope: For a couple of years, it looked like The Greatest Story Never Told was destined to be the next Detox, as label drama with Atlantic had suspended its release all but indefinitely. While the first single came out in July of 2007, the album didn’t end up dropping until February 2011. Fortunately, those who endured the wait were not disappointed. Richly layered production by Just Blaze underscores Saigon’s intellectual lyrics on everything from history to the hood. While the album didn’t blow up like it could have with a proper release, it showed the world that Saigon’s fight for artistic integrity wasn’t for nothing.

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Rich Boy, Rich Boy

Why It's Dope: Rich Boy burst onto the scene in 2007 when his debut single “Throw Some D’s” reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. Atlanta producer Polow Da Don filled the Alabama MC’s self-titled album with club-ready beats. Capitalizing on the top-notch production, Rich Boy got the party started on songs like “Boy Looka Here,” with his southern drawl punctuating lines about drinking and hustling. The success of Rich Boy’s debut was bittersweet, however, as his sophomore release was tied up in delays until 2013.

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Gorilla Zoe, Don’t Feed Da Animals

Why It's Dope: Some critics have dismissed Gorilla Zoe’s rap style as simplistic and Auto-Tune reliant. On his second album Don’t Feed Da Animals, however, the former Boyz N Da Hood member played this to his advantage. Combining catchy hooks with deeply personal lyrics, Gorilla Zoe managed to create strangely workable club records. Tracks like “Echo” and “Lost” dripped with both personal angst and undeniably good production, proving that Gorilla Zoe was more than he seems on the surface.

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Young Dro, Best Thang Smokin’

Why It's Dope: As one of the earliest artists signed to T.I.’s Hustle Gang imprint, Young Dro was instrumental in the label’s initial success. Propelled by the popularity of his T.I. collaboration “Shoulder Lean,” Young Dro quickly rose to prominence. Best Thang Smokin’ showcased some of Dro’s best club tracks, and was the last official album he would release for nearly seven years.

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Crooked I, Apex Predator

Why It's Dope: Despite nearly two decades in the game, Crooked I didn’t release a proper full-length debut until just last year. Apex Predator, while not everything one would hope for from such a talented MC, was nonetheless a solid step in the right direction for Crooked I as a solo artist. More than anything, it proved that the Slaughterhouse member certainly hasn’t forgotten how to spit. Whether he was going toe-to-toe with Tech N9ne or handling things on his own, the California MC’s debut album showed why he was in the top tier of hip-hop lyrically.

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Ace Hood,Trials & Tribulations

Why It's Dope: After years of (largely unrecognized) hard work on Def Jam, Ace Hood’s Cash Money debut finally achieved some of the crossover success he had been working for. While “Bugatti” was rightfully inescapable last year, Trials & Tribulations also contained a deeper roster of personal songs than Ace’s previous albums. His work ethic and passion really came through in the music, and the result was his best project yet.

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Asher Roth, RetroHash

Why It's Dope: After critics savaged his 2009 debut Asleep In The Bread Aisle, many hip-hop fans wrote Asher Roth off as a one-hit wonder. Nearly five years later, after a slew of successful mixtapes and a departure from his major label, he returned with his sophomore LP RetroHash. The project delved deeper into the many musical influences Roth has explored since his “I Love College” days, and the result was an album that showed a great amount of maturity and promise for a rapper who has fought to be taken seriously by the hip-hop community for years. Playful instrumentals accompany Asher’s dense wordplay, proving that the red-headed Pennsylvania native was much more than just a frat rapper.

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B.o.B, B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray

Why It's Dope: B.o.B’s debut album bubbled with his signature genre-bending style. Massive, multi-platinum singles like “Airplanes” and “Magic” helped propel the project to the top of the charts in 2010, debuting at No. 1 and going on to sell over 500,000 copies. The wide-ranging album incorporated elements of pop, rock, funk, and of course hip-hop, showcasing Bobby Ray’s versatility and his hit-making sensibilities.

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Blu, York

Why It's Dope: While it’s difficult to pick a best album from a skillful and prolific rapper like Blu, York was perhaps the greatest example of his ample talents. Blu attacked a wide range of important topics on the album, and left the jazzy East Coast beats for something more backpack that resonated in L.A. Considered by many to be an underground classic, the album established Blu as an artist that any true hip-hop fan needed to pay attention to.

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Curren$y, Pilot Talk

Why It's Dope: Curren$y has released a handful of solid albums, but the original Pilot Talk, his third, stood a shoulder above the rest. It was on this record that the New Orleans native really began to solidify his style. Aided by Ski Beatz smoky production, Curren$y delivered a laid back flow that still manages to feel urgent. His stoner-friendly persona and thick rhymes helped make the album a hazy triumph.

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Kid Cudi, Man On The Moon: The End Of Day

Why It's Dope: Many consider Man On The Moon: The End of Day to be the quintessential Kid Cudi album. Narrated by Common, the album brought the listener on a journey through the mind of Scott Mescudi. Along the way, they learn about his dreams, his fears, and his nightmares. The innovative album built upon Cudi’s work on mentor Kanye West’s 808’s & Heartbreak, melding the style into a spaced-out dreamscape of a project. MotM spawned many of Scott’s most successful singles, and was certified gold for selling over 500,000 copies.

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Wale, The Album About Nothing

Why It's Dope: The Album About Nothing is arguably Wale’s best effort to date. With mostly positive vibes built off a period negative experiences—Wale said in an interview he was depressed for much of the time he was crafting the album—it also causes one to wonder if Wale has to come into a new chapter along with the material. Seinfeld’s appearances are all appreciated and complement the material. Although there were some skepticism about the two joining together at first, after giving this album an invested living, it wouldn’t be a bad thing if Wale and Seinfeld were to hook up on a project once more.

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Big K.R.I.T., Cadillactica

Why It's Dope: With this album, Big K.R.I.T. certainly felt he had something to prove following mediocre reviews of his debut album. Immediately it was clear that K.R.I.T. had stepped up to the plate. The album's lush production and Southern stylings were more reminiscent of the MC's highly-regarded mixtape work and earned the Mississippi rapper a spot in the top five of the Billboard 200. After his debut failed to live up to the hype, K.R.I.T. was able to successfully bring fans along on his trip to the planet Cadillactica.

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Big Sean, Dark Sky Paradise

Why It's Dope: With his latest effort, Big Sean arguably put forth his best work yet. Dark Sky Paradise starts off on a high with Drake and Kanye features within the first three songs, but the LP only gets better as it builds up to the most poignant records towards its end, as "Deep" and "One Man Can Change The World" are undeniably standouts. After shaking off some inconsistency with his previous two albums, Sean finally delivered what the fans knew he had in him the entire time with a project that is nearly unskippable. Contender for album of the year already.

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Fashawn, The Ecology

Why It's Dope: To many it had almost seemed like Fashawn was stuck, creatively undone and unable to release another album after the success of his 2009 debut had been followed up by mixtape after mixtape. But Fashawn was creatively reborn at Mass Appeal and returned with an album worth waiting for, grabbing features from Nas, Dom Kennedy, Aloe Blacc and BJ The Chicago Kid to augment his own consistent flow. It was a reminder of how dope the West Coast MC was for those who may have forgotten.

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Freddie Gibbs (with Madlib), Piñata

Why It's Dope: Freddie Gibbs and Madlib had already established that they were a ferocious duo with a handful of scattered releases the year before, but it's hard to remember anyone being truly ready for the relentless onslaught that was their collaborative full-length. Gibbs is far and away one of the best street rappers in the game right now and he wasted little time in flexing his lyrical dexterity over Madlib's impossibly tough production. Though there are hooks aplenty, Gibbs' gravelly delivery means that they're less of a break from the heaviness of the verses than another verse piled right on top. A standout project no matter what the criteria.

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J. Cole, 2014 Forest Hills Drive

Why It's Dope: With barely any heads up, Cole stole the top spot on the Billboard 200 and pushed 375,000 copies of this album in a week before anyone even had a chance to get ready for it, marking another success story for artists employing surprise releases. Aside from the market value, Cole not only served up his vocals for the his latest work but he also assisted in the production aspect of 10 out of the 13 tracks on the album. And did we mention that, without a single guest feature, Cole delivered his best project to date? Cole world indeed.

Why It's Dope: Jay Rock’s much anticipated debut Follow Me Home was everything most fans hoped it would be. Its smooth, West Coast-inspired grooves provide the perfect background for the TDE spitter’s heavy lyrics. Despite solid guest appearances by his fellow Black Hippy members, as well as heavyweights like Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, and Tech N9ne, Jay Rock managed to keep the album’s voice consistently and uniquely his own. Luckily, years of languishing on the shelf at Warner Bros. didn’t soften the California MC’s many talents.

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OJ Da Juiceman, The Otha Side Of The Trap

Why It's Dope: OJ Da Juiceman’s first (and only) album brought together the highlights of his many mixtapes into a cohesive project. Several Gucci Mane features and stellar trap production by Zaytoven helped elevate the album beyond OJ’s typical swagger raps. The single “Make the Trap Say Aye” with Gucci Mane was also a minor hit on the Billboard Rap Songs chart.

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Wiz Khalifa, Rolling Papers

Why It's Dope: Following up on his hugely-successful Kush & Orange Juice mixtape the year before, Wiz Khalifa delivered on his third LP in a big way. The album slotted in at No. 2 on the charts on its release, but it was the massive success of his single "Black And Yellow" that sent him into superstardom. He landed five singles on the Hot 100—including "Black And Yellow" riding all the way to No. 1—largely on his own, with only Too $hort and longtime collaborators Curren$y and Chevy Woods guesting on the project. It was single-heavy for sure, but a big statement nonetheless.

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Diggy Simmons, Unexpected Arrival

Why It's Dope: This album set up Diggy as hip-hop's next bright star. With a lineage of musical talent in his family, Unexpected Arrival confirmed he's no longer the kid rapping alongside his bro JoJo. Features included Jadakiss, Tank and Jeremih.

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Kendrick Lamar, good kid, m.A.A.d city

Why It's Dope: There’s no question that any album nominated for not only one, but four Grammys is anything less dope, especially when one of the nominations is for Album Of The Year. good kid, m.A.A.d city was Kendrick’s second studio album, which sold 242,000 copies its first week and debuted at the No. 2 spot on the Billboard 200 chart.

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Lil B, I’m Gay (I’m Happy)

Why It's Dope: In addition to the fact that this album ranked No. 56 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, this album was great simply because it was the most controversial album of 2011. The title alone had everyone from hip-hop executives to the LGBT community questioning his intentions from the moment he announced it at the 2011 Coachella Festival. Every news outlet began talking about it and the Cali native rap star even sat down with CNN to explain the reasoning behind the title. Lil B was originally going to name the album “I’m Gay,” but after receiving death threats and national attention he added “(I’m Happy)” in parentheses.

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Mac Miller, Watching Movies With The Sound Off

Why It's Dope: This sophomore album from the Pittsburgh rap-star sold over 100,000 copies in the first week. Although he was in competition with J. Cole and Kanye West, the big numbers proved that he could hang with rap's elite stars. The album itself was an overall strong effort, where songs alongside his buddies Ab-Soul, Earl Sweatshirt, ScHoolboy Q, Action Bronson and Tyler, The Creator brought out the best of him.

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Meek Mill, Dreams And Nightmares

Why It's Dope: Meek Mill was up next in line to put for MMG. His debut album, Dreams And Nightmares, upped his profile in the game, selling over 165,000 copies in its first week. Portraying his idea of intertwining success and failure on the album cover, it was divided into those sections throughout the whole thing. On songs like "Amen," Meek is at his best, while a revealing number such as "Tony Story (Pt. 2)" shows he's very much embedded in the streets. He had to grind like this to shine like this.

Why It's Dope: Catfish Billy's Shady debut was highly anticipated the moment he snapped on Trunk Muzik. While Radioactive didn't sell as much as many industry insiders would have hoped, fans saw Yela's style of fast-rapping and his varied tastes connect with the mainstream. Standouts include songs he made with notable artists such as Eminem, Mystikal and Lil Jon. To this day, Yela is still someone who Eminem really admires.

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YG, My Krazy Life

Why It's Dope: After a relentless grind in the mixtape circuit, YG's My Krazy Life was a surprisingly good effort that showed the West was shifting back to the top of rap's mountain. Fueled by his hit single "My N*gga," as well as frequent club banger "Who Do You Love," YG guided us through Compton with tight beats by DJ Mustard. "Meet The Flockers" was a real story of robbing a few homes, and "Bicken Back Being Bool" was 100 percent gangster. C-Walk to this all day.

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Danny Brown, Old

Why It's Dope: Despite low album sales, Danny Brown's debut was widely appreciated by hip-hop purists. Our review last year on it pretty much summed it up: "In a year that’s seen aging rappers in both the mainstream (Jay Z, Kanye West) and underground (J-Zone, Ka) confront the concept of their own mortality with varying degrees of honesty and depth, Old might be the most impressive yet. Brown displays real bravery in his willingness to merge the sacred with the profane, the independent with the arena-ready, the old with the new. As the binaries of rap continue to collapse, Brown looks less like an outcast and more like a trailblazer. It feels like time is on his side."

Why It's Dope: This album hit the No. 4 spot on the Billboard 200 charts after selling 55,000 copies in its first week. Diddy, Nicki Minaj and Snoop Dogg were just a few of the many big names featured on the album. French released three singles from the LP and all three ranked on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

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Future, Pluto

Why It's Dope: Future was bubbling and buzzing before this album dropped, but once it did suddenly the Atlanta rapper and his bevy of hits—seriously, take your pick—was on the tips of everyone's tongues. The album that brought unintelligible warble rap to new heights was so in demand that he re-released Pluto seven months later with an extended tracklist, which helped push him even further into the stratosphere. Without Future and this album in particular, the whole scope of hip-hop in 2015 would sound completely different. Think about that for a second.

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Hopsin, Knock Madness

Why It's Dope: While Hop says this was his "last album" before going to retirement, Knock Madness made a significant impact on the charts. With features from Tech N9ne and Funk Volume's Dizzy Wright, Hop held his own.

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Iggy Azalea, The New Classic

Why It's Dope: The New Classic is the highest ranked female hip-hop album since Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday. It sold over 50,000 copies in its first week and debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart. Iggy became the first non-American female rapper to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Her album has guest appearances from Watch The Duck, Charli XCX, Rita Ora and T.I.

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Kid Ink, My Own Lane

Why It's Dope: This album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard charts when selling 50,000 copies in its first week and over 115,000 copies to date. DJ Mustard produced three songs off the album including his first single "Show Me."

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Machine Gun Kelly, Lace Up

Why It's Dope: This album was expected to be strong when the debut single "Wild Boy" was certified gold after selling over 500,000 copies. The album went on to debut at No. 4 on US Billboard 200 with first week sales of 57,000 copies. Great features with Ester Dean, Tech N9ne, DMX and Lil Jon were also on the album.

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Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, The Heist

Why It's Dope: As an independent artist, Macklemore shook the world when his song "Thrift Shop" became the No. 1 song on the Billboard 200 and sold over 7 million copies. Couple that with his controversial win for Best Hip-Hop Album at this year's Grammy Awards and going platinum in three countries, Mack's been riding high since his debut.

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Ab-Soul, These Days...

Why It's Dope: Ab-Soul was itching to get this album out for months, even threatening to leak it before TDE final gave him the all-clear. The independent release—he never formally signed with Interscope, despite ScHoolboy Q and Kendrick Lamar both inking deals with the label—was well-received, combining Soul's typically inward-thinking lyricism with his mystical ideas and wildly varied production. The guests were both usual (Q, SZA, Kendrick) and unexpected (Rick Ross), providing a wide palette of collaborators for Soul to bounce off.

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Action Bronson, Mr. Wonderful

Why It's Dope: Action Bronson certainly went hard with his major label debut and earned himself a title as one of hip-hop's new stars. The Queens-bred MC paired his eclectic taste in production with his goofy, oddball personality on the LP, which unfurled into a magical journey through his twisted head. "Easy Rider" and "Baby Blue" are standouts on the effort, but it's really the album as a whole that's to be treasured rather than any big singles. In crafting a body of work, Bronson has proved his value to the game.

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Chief Keef, Finally Rich

Why It's Dope: It was the album that launched a million white kids dancing with their arms perched awkwardly next to their faces, but it was also the album that established Keef as the unequivocal leader of the then-emerging Chicago drill music scene. If "I Don't Like" put him firmly on the map, this album proved that, despite all the drawbacks, bullshit and lyrical deficiencies, Keef could write hooks that get stuck in people's heads for days and days and days.

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Dizzy Wright, The Growing Process

Why It's Dope: Vegas MC Dizzy Wright had gone more than three years since his first independent album, during which time the rapper was able to grow up and understand what he wanted from a proper commercial release. That, in addition to his heavily weed-centric aesthetic, led to the album's title and its more mature sound and subject matter. It may not have moved crazy numbers, but it was a positive step in the right direction for Dizzy, and features from Krayzie and Layzie Bone as well as Tech N9ne, to name a few, helped make the tracks pop.

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Joey Bada$$, B4.Da.$$

Why It's Dope: Joey Bada$$ has been considered a leading light for New York hip-hop since his debut mixtape in 2012 announced a young, lyrically-adept MC had arrived on the scene. Setbacks and delays pushed things back, but when B4.Da.$$ arrived on Joey's 20th birthday it proved that the wait was worth it. Sure, there was plenty of boom bap to the production—DJ Premier, Statik Selektah and Pro Era's Kirk Knight and Chuck Strangers held down most of the beats—but Joey's poetic rhymes and varied flows, not to mention his unapologetic storytelling, made this one of the best debuts for a rapper that young in years. It's still in rotation more than six months later.

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Logic, Under Pressure

Why It's Dope: Logic is without a doubt one of the slickest young rhymers in the game right now and his highly-anticipated Def Jam debut delivered on the hype and surprised many who had been sleeping on him in the process. It's a concept album more than anything, with A Tribe Called Quest-esque narration tying the themes together and a clever way of raising themes early on and delivering on them as the project moved forward. Perhaps most surprising was that the album—which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200—was such a hit that it came within 1,000 copies of beating out established superstar T.I.'s LP, Paperwork, which came out the same day.

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ScHoolboy Q, Oxymoron

Why It's Dope: Q's album was easily one of the most anticipated of 2014, and it didn't disappoint, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and rescuing hip-hop heads from the doldrums of the often-slow early year release schedule. With powerhouse singles, a slew of high-profile features and some beats that were flat-out undeniable, Q put the West Coast on his back and rode it back to its gangsta rap origins, earning TDE's first No. 1 album along the way.

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August Alsina, Testimony

Why It's Dope: When August first started making waves on the scene, it was his backstory—impoverished kid with a drug-addicted father trying to make it through the impoverished New Orleans projects—that set him apart from other singers crooning about love and sex. Testimony proved there was more to him than just a story; he has a melodic sensibility that many would dream of, and a wealth of integrity that many would dream of.

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Jarren Benton, My Grandma's Basement

Why It's Dope: Jarren had been making a name for himself as a spit-fire MC with his mixtapes before this, but his first Funk Volume album was his most fully-realized project to date. This album launched him from just another ATLien into one of the premier talents on the scene without him being entrenched in the now-formulaic Atlanta trap world.

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Jon Connor, Unconscious State

Why It's Dope: By this point, Connor was known as one of the most lyrical MCs in the game, but Unconscious State—with its features from Royce, Kweli, Freddie Gibbs, Danny Brown and Smoke DZA, to name just a few—proved that he could stand his ground amongst his peers in the game. Connor may have made his name through his mixtapes—calling himself The People's Rapper, he's been known to cater to his fanbase but consistently delivering top-notch music for free—but Unconscious State established him as a rapper with more than just technical ability on his side.

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Troy Ave, Major Without A Deal

Why It's Dope: Although the album's sales are a hot topic on the internet at the moment, Troy was able to secure some top-level features for this project including 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Fat Joe and Jadakiss. But the Brooklyn rapper also held his own by churning out a steady stream of radio-friendly records. Troy has proven over and over that he's not gonna let the haters hold him back, and if listeners can get beyond the backlash they'll find an album worth bumping.

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Lil Durk, Remember My Name

Why It's Dope: Durk's debut came two years after his breakthrough mixtape Signed 2 The Streets announced to the world that there was more to Chicago drill music than Chief Keef. His ear for melody and ability to consistently pen catchy hooks set him apart from the rest, while this album was an experimental one that saw Durk step out of his comfort zone to great effect, particularly on songs like "Tryna Tryna" with fellow former Freshman Logic. It may not have sold as well as other debuts, but Durk fit a lot into a tightly-packed 12 songs.

Keep up to date with all our 2015 XXL Freshmen stories, freestyles, interviews and videos right here.